KAWASAKI GTR1400 (2007 - 2009) Review

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £250

Solid, fast, comfortable and frugal. What's not to love.

Buying experience: Bought from dealer. Simple process and very happy.

Year: 2008

Annual servicing cost: £300

Comfortable, reliable, quick when it needs to be and handles well. Done a couple of big one day rides, the biggest being Anncey in southern France to Stoke on Trent. Around 900 odd miles. Can't say I wasn't knackered at the end of it but not much else I would of tried it on.

Buying experience: Bought second hand from Hunts of Stockport. Very good.

Version: ABS

Year: 2009

Annual servicing cost: £450

The Good; keyless ignition, cavernous panniers, adjustable screen, handling, brakes, engine, weather protection. The Bad; cooked legs in summer. Bazooka exhaust (will be getting changed).

Buying experience: I bought this bike from a trader who deals predominantly in police bikes. And that's what sold it to me. Low mileage, serviced to buggery, and only a few blemishes. I traded in my TDM900 (56k miles) and parted with £4250. A bargain in my eyes.

very simple review as not worth much comment. Screen useless and nosiy, Engine ok for dawdling not much else. Stock ZZR lump would be MUCH better and smoother. This bike is seriously SLOW and hard work to make good progress. If you disagree get back in your mondeo. Handling pretty terrible, its very heavy and behaves like its got a steering damper wound up much to tight. Too combersone to be fun and sits up under braking quite violently whilst cornering. I haven't ridden a bike this bad for 20 years!!! making it very hard work and dangerous to press on. Mirors make it as wide as a car and impossible to filter in traffic... yet u get air con in a car !!! Worst of all the heat from the faring cooks your lower legs till VERY crisp and upper leg till well done even on very short rides. Why didn't I see any of this issues raised in the MCN tests, maybe you need a road tester who can actually tell the difference between bikes ?

real smoothly of operation

If you're thinking of buying a GTR 1400, then check this out - www.kawasaki1400gtr.info Everything you need to know about the bike, accessories, recalls, etc etc.

I bought my GTR six months ago - an ex-demonstrator with a couple of hundred miles on the clock. I've now added another 5000. Overall, I'm happy with the bike but my biggest concern is the finish. Already, after just one winter's use, the alloy end cap on the can has been replaced under warranty due to corrosion and other alloy parts are starting to look a little sad too. There's rust inside one of the bar weights, under the seat, starting on the centre stand and all the linkages are blackened. I fitted a Skidmarx hugger to keep the crap off the shock and that seems to do it's job well enough. There was (and probably still is) a fault with the light switch. In very heavy downpours, water shorts the switch causing the main beam to stay on. I soaked the switch with WD40 and haven't had the same trouble since but I'm sure it will manifest itself again at some point. I opted for an extended warranty so that might just get a beating and end up paying for itself! The stock tyres (front and rear) lasted 4000 miles and I changed the originals for Michelin Road Pilot 2's which I find much more confidence inspiring. The original Bridgestones always felt skittish in the wet, particularly at the front end. The engine is sublime and pulls like a train, smooth and torquey, the supension is a liitle soft and can get overworked on bumpy sections but the brakes are absolutely great, with immense stopping power, even fully laden. It returns around 43 mpg in general use, less when ridden hard but does well into the 50's cruising up the motorway. I've fitted a Givi V46 top box using a Phil's Farkels rack, which is study and made of aluminium which means you don't have to have those support bars underneath, like with the Givi rack option - and don't have to drill the body work either! I also fitted ST1300 OEM heated grips, with a statndard contoller, which fit perfectly and work very well indeed, much better than aftermarket jobbies. The taller screen doesn't seem to me to make a significant difference. The GTR is perfect for touring, commuting and general use. It doesn't feel it's size and can still filter through traffic well enough. Two up is no problem at all, as you'd expect. I have a Autocom intercom installed and a Garmin Zumo 550 sat-nav for touring. The OEM sat-nav mount is a nice option and fits easily. I also had the crash bars fitted, just in case, but they are very expensive. All in all, I'm very happy with what is and excellent bike. The jury's still out on the finish though.

- Ride is exceptional, although in heavy weather I'm left feeling a little unnerved about the front end - Power is fantastic & the engine is an absolute dream (well done Kawasaki) - That shaft drive is also incredible! - Front tyres seem to develop an anomalous wear pattern as I think Bridgestone haven't quite got the mix of compounds right yet & so I might switch over to Avon Storm STs next - The bike corrodes like a B**tch quite quickly (relative to other bikes I've owned), especially if you're an all weather rider - I've had the bike from new for 3 months & have had the discs warped, clocks leak water, full beam flicker on randomly - These have all been replaced under warranty - I still love the bike & would recommend it to anyone... however, the niggles have seen my eyes straying over to the new BMW K1300GT SE... it's got a better power to weight ratio & more toys, I could justify the expense! Just want to ride it first!

Wow, I am the chap who always says to "The Wife" I'll keep this bike for years, as it's everything I need (want) and then changes after a year after visiting the bike show. BUT Not this year ! PROFILE: 43 YR OLD FAMILY GUY RIDING SINCE 16 NUMEROUS BIKES WANTED SPORTS TOURER NOT TOURER SPORTS NEEDED BIKE TO PASS WIFE TEST FOR BI ANNUAL ROAD TRIP WANTED TO RIP IT UP OCCAISIONALLY, BUT NOT SUFFER BAD BACK ! And Ive fallen in love.... 11,000 miles, Scotland, France Isle of Man.. and the least amount of cash spent on any bike so far with ad ons ADD ONS large givi top box High lift screen TomTom Rider Starcom 1 advance (ipod in my ears, oh and I can talk to the wife when necessary) Beowulf end can This bike is fantastic, and there's nothing to compete with the looks style and attitude, performance, sound (with the can, damn I must remember I am 43 and stop blip-ping the throttle at the lights) and comfort.. Shes been 11,000 miles and I have enjoyed every minute, - simply put No niggles, No problems, fun, comfort, & sporty when the mood takes, and yet so torquey that sticking in 4th with my wife on the back makes 30 mph to 130 MPH a gear-less experience, just wind the throttle as required, for a smooth perfect touring ride. (And Loch Ness to Skye is a must do) So.... If I keep this one for a few years, maybe I need another bike as well - cant go the NEC and not go shopping can we chaps ? Perhaps "something Italian for the weekend sir ?"

I passed my test a year ago and bought a scooter! I got bored within a couple of months but held on till September when I got the GTR. I LOVE IT! It's very fast, it still puts a grin on my face when I start it up and even bigger when riding and is surpisingly easy to ride, I thought it would be heavier. My wife loves travelling on it although I have had to buy love handles as she was uncomfortable with the grab rail. The only downside is it does not have heated grips and the screen could be bigger, but will get a new bigger one in the future. Unfortunately the weather is not being kind at the moment, but roll on the summer because I can feel some serious mileage being done.

Well, I have 6,000 miles on my 1400GTR and loving every minute. I commute to Docklands every day on it but soon will be swapping to my old GTR1000 for the winter months. The power is SMOOOOOTH, except for on/off throttle transitions in traffic when it can get jerky. You need to keep an eye on the speedo as with my 6" taller screen 150 feels much like 85. The mirrors feel wide but I can wiggle it through the traffic fairly easily. Brakes are top notch and the suspension is good. The tyres have lasted the 6k miles but will need replacing soon. Now they are worn they are getting squirmy over white lines and overbanding. Still grip like the proverbial! :-) Apart from the taller screen I've fitted a topbox with high level brake light(leave the luggage at home, it's too wide for filtering, please take note ST1300 owners!), the 1400GTR tankpads, some Grip-Puppies as I find the stock grips too small, and a ThrottleMeister throttle lock. My only complaints are; 1- With the screen up your hands get soaked. Not good design for an ST bike but still better than most. 2- That snatchy throttle at low-rpm. 3- The saddle does not have enough padding for my (somewhat excessive) 25 Stone, and the cover is too sticky (makes moving around difficult). 4- When the Low Fuel warning comes on it removes the gear indicator and disables the Range. Great instrumentation but Kawasaki need to replace whoever wrote the software for it. 5- Practical range is about 180 miles to reserve which is OK but not as good as the ST. It's fast, smooth, reliable, mostly comfy (I've done a 600 mile day with only mild butt-burn) and can scare the bejeezus out of you one minute and be docile as a baby lamb the next.

This one awesome bike and the more I use it the more I like it. My missus and I spent a good 12 months testing every bike out there looking for the right bike that ticked all our boxes and the big kwack ticked more than most. It was a big gamble buying a bike I hadn't tested but it paid off. I had a few issues at first but they have all disappeared as me and the bike have gelled. I'm around 5'10" and about 18 stone and the bike fits a treat. I suffer from arthiritis in hands and knees yet after a six hour sting in saddle recently had no aches other than bit of a numb which went after an hours rest. I did have some racing foam added to padding on seat in the first week as I could feel the contours of seat ribs but now the bike is pretty much perfect other than one minor niggle. As the mileage has crept over 5000 miles I sometimes have a problem selecting neutral, its probably me not being delicate enough with my hoof but wondered if anyone else had experienced this? A screen is a bit short but I can live with it but will be trying the new one to see if it gives more protection for winter. My partners only critique is that the grab rails would be more comfortable if they came forwards more as they are a bit of stretch at present and that reminds me of one more thing. If the mirrors were located an inch higher they would be much improved. At present half the view is full of panniers and pillion knees. Not brilliant. Kawasaki - let me decide the next generation eh?

1500km's on the clock after 4 weeks. Now its finally run in and I'm keen to stetch her legs. So far only up to 6,000rpm or thereabouts ;) and its already pulling big time by that stage - the V V T obviously does its thing very well. Absolutely love the bike - it was a great step up from a Suzuki SV1000S - especially for two up riding. (It still doesn't sounds quite as good tho - those Yoshimura's were awesome.) I have been wanting a big sports tourer for some time and couldn't make up my mind, but this is the exact mix I was after. It's very smooth, fast and tackles corners way better than I expected. Two comments - (1) I'm 6 ft and wish the screen was about 3 inches taller (an upgrade is going to be available apparently), (2) the exhaust is about 6 inches too long (looks like a turbine!) A replacement is on order from Two Brothers already. Apart from that - no issues whatsoever and I can see me keeping this bike for a long time.

I've only owned my C14 for two weeks now but wow! The Concours14 is almost a perfect motorcycle. The only thing missing is electronic cruise control. The brakes are phenominal. The suspension and comfort are first rate and exactly what I was expecting in a sport-tourer. The engine is deceptively fast and strong with that typical and attractive Kawasaki exhaust note. I am very impressed and think I will keep this one for a while.